T. Rex (band)

T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band was initially called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and released four psychedelic folk albums under this name. In 1969, Bolan began to change the band’s style towards electric rock, and shortened their name to T.  Rex the following year. In 1977, founder, songwriter and sole constant member Bolan died in a car crash several months after the release of the group’s final studio album Dandy in the Underworld. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

About T. Rex (band) in brief

Summary T. Rex (band)T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band was initially called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and released four psychedelic folk albums under this name. In 1969, Bolan began to change the band’s style towards electric rock, and shortened their name to T.  Rex the following year. In 1977, founder, songwriter and sole constant member Bolan died in a car crash several months after the release of the group’s final studio album Dandy in the Underworld, and the group disbanded. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. They have continued to influence a variety of subsequent artists, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Police and The Police, as well as other artists such as Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Doors, and The Beatles’ former bandmate John Cale. T. Rex have been described as one of the most influential bands of the 1960s and 1970s, and are still hugely influential to this day. They had a run of eleven singles in the UK top ten from 1970 to 1973, with four UK number one hits, including \”Hot Love\”, \”Get It On\”, \”Telegram Sam\” and \”Metal Guru\”. The band’s 1971 album Electric Warrior received critical acclaim as a pioneering glam rock album, and reached number 1 in the British charts. They were overshadowed by the loud rock acts they were billed with, such as Iggy Pop and The Stooges, but continued to release albums until the early 1980s, when they began releasing one album per year.

They also had a long-standing relationship with producer Tony Visconti, who went on to produce their albums well into their second, glam rock phase. In the early 1990s, the band toured the U.S. and Europe, and were regulars on Peel Sessions on BBC radio, and toured Britain’s student union halls. They released three albums, the third of which, Unicorn, came within striking distance of the UK Top 10 Albums. Bolan and his girlfriend June Child were living a quiet life, and Bolan working on his book of poetry entitled The Warlock of Love and concentrating on his songs and performance skills. By 1969 there was a rift developing between the two halves of TyrannosaurusRex. The two began performing acoustic material as a duo with a repertoire of folk-influenced Bolan-penned songs. The combination of Bolan’s acoustic guitar and distinctive vocal style with Took’s bongos and assorted percussion—which often included children’s instruments such as the Pixiphone—earned them a devoted following in the thriving hippy underground scene. BBC Radio One Disc jockey John Peel championed the band early in their recording career. Peel later appeared on record with them, reading stories written by Bolan, and later appeared in a TV show with them. In Spring 1969 Bolan rebuffed Took, and contributed vocals and percussion to Twink’s Think Pink’s ThinkPink.